College Writing: Power & Commodity Culture

3 units

How does fancy mustard relate to hip-hop? How might your taste in potato chips relate to your choice in winter coat? How does writing itself contribute to larger cultural conversations? This course will explore how our choices as consumers, creators, and writers are mediated by broader cultural forces such as foodways, fashion, music, advertisement, art, and social media. "Commodity culture" refers to what aspects of culture can be evaluated in terms of supposed "worth" or economic value. Here students will think critically, draft, take risks, and revise to present work that has been elevated to college-level writing and argumentation. Readings will explore a range of rigorous scholarship and multimedia texts -- whether it's the importance of cultural capital in college admissions, the role of social media in the rise of self-branding, recognizing accessibility in our known environment, Taylor Swift’s connection to “rainbow capitalism,” or the blurred line between high art and Instagram. As avid readers and writers, we will delve into the details of rhetorical context to approach both published media and our own essays as instances of cultural production. No prior knowledge of foodways, art history, or media studies is necessary for this course, but students are expected to develop a nuanced appreciation of how something as seemingly innocuous as cultural output intersects with larger structures of status, power, and social justice. THIS COURSE SATISFIES THE FIRST-YEAR WRITING REQUIREMENT FOR ALL DIVISIONS.